Painstaking family tree assembly with Gramps

Upon installation of the family tree software Gramps, we were presented with a baffling array of add-ons to choose from, few of which made immediate sense.

This was a pattern repeated throughout, as Gramps assumed that we'd understand a precession of options, menus and sub menus with little explanation. That in itself is a testament to the amount of depth this software lets users go into. If you can think of something you would want to archive about a person, Gramps will have an option for it.

So, for example, if you wanted to say specifically when someone took first communion, there's a dropdown menu for it. You can even specify where, right down to the exact latitude and longitude.

Gramps left us feeling a tad lost in a myriad of options, menus and uninspiring grey interfaces.

When a family tree starts to take shape there are extensive options to generate reports based on the data. These can take various forms from charts to tables, trees and graphs. Information is clearly laid out and well presented.

While there's an argument that you can never have too many options, Gramps was at times over whelming. That said, Gramps is nothing if it isn't thorough.

For those that really want to build a family tree, and are happy to spend many hours looking at a dull, grey interface, Gramps is an good option.